When Malaysia began its third MCO on 12 May, some residents were not pleased.
It wasn’t because of the lack of freedom and ability to socialise, it’s because they believed the measures weren’t strict enough, as economic sectors would be allowed to continue operating.
In response, Malaysia Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin explained that the authorities were hesitant to impose another total lockdown due to the devastating impact the first MCO had on the economy last year.
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Now, however, their spiralling outbreak has left them with no other choice.
Everything About the Total Nationwide Lockdown in M’sia That’ll Start from 1 June
Malaysia will enter a total nationwide lockdown for two weeks, Mr Muhyiddin announced yesterday (28 May).
The lockdown will begin on 1 June and end on 14 June.
Under this new lockdown, social activities will be banned and all economic sectors will suspend operations. The only exceptions are essential sectors and services.
Four Consecutive Days of Record Infections
The prime minister’s announcement came after 8,290 new infections were reported that day, its fourth consecutive day of record infections.
Even after three weeks of the more moderate MCO, things did not improve.
“This decision was made after taking into account the current situation of the COVID-19 outbreak in Malaysia, with daily cases surpassing 8,000 and over 70,000 active cases,” Mr Muhyiddin said in a statement.
“As of today, 2,552 have passed away from this pandemic, and the number of deaths is increasing. The presence of more aggressive variants with higher infectivity also influenced today’s decision.”
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This month also saw the highest number of deaths caused by COVID-19 since the pandemic began.
Why the Hesitance?
So, why didn’t Malaysia impose a full lockdown three weeks ago? Well, it’s the same reason every country is hesitant to impose one: the fear of an economic collapse.
Last week, Prime Minister Muhyiddin acknowledged that a strict MCO would be the best option to contain infections, but explained that the country lost hundreds of billions of dollars last year after implementing the first MCO.
“We shut down everything during the MCO 1.0 and, because of that, Malaysians suffered, the country suffered, we lost RM2.4 billion (S$769 million) daily and unemployment shot up,” he said.
“I don’t want Malaysians to die of the coronavirus, I also don’t want Malaysians to die of starvation, so this is how we arrived at MCO 3.0.”
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Malaysia’s economy experienced a 5.6% decline last year, the worst since the 1998 Asian Financial Crisis.
Three-Phased Exit Strategy
The exit strategy employed by Malaysia is similar to that of Singapore’s after the circuit breaker last year.
If the number of infections drops, the country will then enter the second phase lasting four weeks, which will allow more sectors to reopen, as long as these activities do not involve large gatherings.
And if things continue to improve, restrictions will be further eased and the country will enter its third phase, where most economic activities will resume. Social activities will remain prohibited.
Hopefully, infections come down soon, as Malaysia’s hospital capacity nationwide to treat COVID-19 patients is also becoming increasingly limited.
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Featured Image: Farrel Arissa / Shutterstock.com
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